ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law on Dec. 22 that amends current conservation law to ban certain types of hunting contests.
The new law will likely have little effect on the Tri-Lakes, but some local hunters are concerned that the bill is yet another action in a long list of government moves that they believe are slowly curbing hunting rights.
“The laws being passed, they’re chipping away at hunting privileges,” said Ralph Hartman, a member of the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club Board of Directors.
The law will make it “unlawful for an individual to organize, sponsor, conduct, promote or participate in any contest, competition, tournament or derby with the objective of taking or hunting wildlife for prizes, inducement or entertainment.” It applies to contests for species like coyotes, raccoons, foxes and other “nuisance” animals, but does not affect contests for white-tailed deer, black bear, turkeys or fishing.
‘NICKEL-AND-DIMING’
Hartman said he’s never participated in such contests and that they don’t sit right with him personally. Despite this, he views the passing of this bill as a way to appease animal rights activists and Democrats to garner votes.
“I think they’re nickel-and-diming for the future,” he said.
The new law comes from old legislation introduced over 20 years ago in 2003, which has been reintroduced every year since. The bill passed the state Senate on June 7, 2023 with a split of 46-15 in favor.
The bill was introduced this session by 10 Democratic senators, most of whom represent New York City, with the exception of senators Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo, Rachel May, D-Syracuse and Pete Harckham, D-South Salem.
“With the signing of this legislation, we are sending a clear message that the wanton waste of one of our state’s most treasured resources will not continue. The indiscriminate, inhumane killing of our shared wildlife in exchange for cash prizes is a waste of life, and I am proud that New York state is taking the lead in outlawing these contests,” Kennedy said in a statement.
The bill’s justification cites that “thousands” of animals — specifically coyotes, foxes, bobcats, rabbits, crows, woodchucks and squirrels — are killed in these competitions each year, and that carcasses are often discarded.
“Wildlife killing contests may have been viewed as part of a tradition, but with time we understand that the constant stress on the natural world requires us to re-evaluate customs that are undermining healthy ecosystems,” said Assemblymember Deborah Glick, sponsor of the legislation and chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. “At the same time, this measure in no way prevents farmers, ranchers or others from dispatching nuisance animals predating on livestock or companion animals, in accordance with Department of Environmental Conservation regulations.”
Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, as well as Assembly members Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay and Matthew Simpson, R-Horicon all voted against the bill.
“We have not seen or encouraged the abhorrent behaviors of wastefulness that have been alleged as rationale for the passage of these bills,” Simpson told the Enterprise. “Any depletion of species has been accounted for within management plans in place by (the state Department of Environmental Conservation) and are supported by replenishment efforts which come from funding which is generated by license sales. There is no need to completely close the door and lose the opportunity for benefit.”
Jones and Stec did not respond to requests for comment by deadline Thursday.
Many animal rights activists and organizations claim that hunting contests promote and allow unlimited killing of the target species and can damage populations.
“I don’t think there’s anything behind that,” Hartman said.
CONSIDER THE COYOTE
Hunting contests are not exempt from state regulations. In New York, the 2023-24 season for coyotes is Oct. 31 to March 31 statewide (excluding New York City). There are no bag limits, and they can be hunted day or night. This means that hunters can take as many coyotes as they are able all season long. Bag limits, season dates and hunting hours are part of science-based wildlife management plans built and enforced by the DEC.
Coyotes, often categorized as nuisance animals and despised by many farmers, are nearly impossible to eradicate, as they self-regulate their populations and can produce more pups under pressure.
“Their howls function in many ways, but one function is to create a kind of census of surrounding coyote populations, and if their howls are not answered by other packs, the result is a biological response that produces large litters,” Author of “Coyote America” Dan Flores said in an interview with Project Coyote, a national animal rights non-profit based in northern California.
This means that populations actually increase under hunting pressure.
“Leave coyotes alone and their numbers stabilize, but pressure them and they colonize and go into overdrive to keep their numbers up,” Flores said.
In New York, the coyote population is estimated to be 30,000 to 40,000.
Adirondack Council Executive Director Raul J. Aguirre thanked and applauded the governor’s action in a statement.
“The best available science tells us that contests awarding cash and prizes for the taking of wildlife, such as coyotes and other non-game species, is not good for the ecology of New York state,” he said. “We support ethical and science-based hunting practices, as well as efforts to restore balance to our wildlands. The Adirondack Council is grateful to the bill’s sponsors and fellow partners for championing this legislation. Signing this prohibition into law is a step forward for wildlife management in the Adirondack Park and across the state.”